Material handling apparatus



Jan. 23, 1968 w. A. YOUNG 3,365,086

MATERIAL HANDLI NG APPARATUS Filed Sept. 5, 1965' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1-FIG.I'

IN VENTOR.

W. A. YOUNG Jan. 23, 1968 w YOUNG 3,365,086

MATER IAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 3, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UnitedStates Patent 3,365,086 MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS William A. Young,East Moline, llL, assignor to Deere & Company, Molina, 1th, acorporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 484,798 Claims.(Cl. 21 -l5l9) ABSTRAtIT OF THE DHSCLQSURE A combine having a centralunitary elevated grain tank divided into two laterally adjacentcompartment by a fore-and-aft divider and fed by a transverse augerhaving its discharge end generally above the divider and meansassociated with the discharge end of the auger for selectively directingthe grain into either compartment.

This invention relates to a material handling apparatus and moreparticularly to a grain tank and conveyor mechanism for an agriculturalcombine or the like.

A typical combine includes a header which harvests the crop and moves itrearwardly to a threshing mechanism within the combine body. Theseparated grain is then elevated to a grain tank and temporarily storedin the grain tank and discharged at appropriate intervals through anunloading conveyor into adjacent transport or storage means.

Since the grain tank is generally located on top of the combine body,the center of gravity of the combine raises as the grain tank is filled,decreasing the stability of the combine, especially on side hills, sincethe grain shifts to the downhill side of the tank.

According to the present invention, means are provided for selectivelyloading either side of a compartment grain tank, so that the uphill sideof the tank may be loaded in sidehill operation to increase thestability of the combine.

Another object is to provide such grain tank compartments by equipping aconventional combine grain tank with a fore-and-aft divider and furtherto provide a deflector means above the divider for selectively directingthe grain from the elevator into either compartment.

Another object is to provide a transverse conveyor for moving the grainfrom the elevator and discharging the grain above the deflector means.

An object of another embodiment of the invention is to provide such aconveyor in the form of auger means having its delivery end shiftablebetween alternate positions above the grain tank compartments.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for loadingeither side of the combine grain tank, which is of simple construction,easy to manufacture, install, operate, and maintain, and which can beprovided as optional equipment on new combines or installed on combinesalready in the field.

These and other objects will become apparent from the followingdescription and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a typical combine.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the combine grain tank shownpartly in section.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the combine, similar to FIG.2, showing a slightly different type of deflector means.

FIG. 4 is a similar to FIG. 3, showing another type of deflector means.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and shows embodiment of theinvention, positioned for grain delivery to the right grain tankcompartment.

3,365,686 Patented Jan. 23, 1965 FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 withthe components positioned for grain delivery to the left compartment.

The combine shown in FIG. 1 includes a main separator body 10 mounted onfront and rear wheels 12 and 14 respectively, a power source 16, a graintank 18, and an operators station 20. The harvesting means or header(not shown) extends forwardly from the body 10 below the operatorsstation 20 and removes the grain from the field, delivering itrearwardly through a feeder house 22 to a threshing and cleaningmechanism within the body it The cleaned grain is moved to the graintank 18 via an elevator type conveyor 24, having a discharge end 26 at ahigher level than the top of the grain tank 18, and a transverseconveyor 28. The transverse conveyor 28 includes a tube 30, supportedabove the grain tank by a support member 31 and the conveyor 24 andhaving an inlet 32, communicating with the discharge end 26 of theconveyor 24, and an outlet 34 above the grain tank 18. An auger 36 isrotatable in the tube 39 and includes an axial shaft 38, supported atone end by the bracket 40 mounted on the grain tank and at the other endby the conveyor 24, and a helicoid flight 42. The elevator conveyor 24and the transverse conveyor 28 are both driven by a drive means 44connected to the power source 16.

The grain tank 18 has opposite, upright front and rear walls 46 and 48respectively, opposite, fore-and-aft side walls 50 and 52, and aninwardly and downwardly converging bottom 54, the top of the grain tankbeing substantially open. A discharge auger 56 is mounted on the graintank bottom and extends outwardly from the grain tank for intermittentdelivery of the grain from the grain tank to an adjacent transport orstorage facility.

A generally fore-and-aft upright divider 58 rises from the bottom 54between the front and rear walls 46 and 48 and has an upper edge 60 overwhich a fore-and-aft pivot 62 is mounted. This divider is substantiallyin the fore-and-aft median plane of the machine. A flat, foreand-aftdeflector member 64 has its lower edges attached to the pivot 60 and itsupper edge attached to a foreand-aft rod-like member 65, forward andrear ends of the member 65 extending through arcuate slots 66 throughthe front and rear walls .6 and 48, each slot 66 forming a portion of acircle with the pivot 62 as its center. The swinging movement of thedeflector member 64 about the pivot 62 is limited by the rod 65 engagingthe opposite ends of the slot 66, one extreme position of the deflectormember 64 being shown in FIG. 2, the alternate extreme position beingshown in FIG. 2 in dotted lines indicated by the numeral 64. The forwardend of the rod 65 eX- tends through the slot 66 in the front wall 46 andcarries a handle means 68 accessible to the operator from the operatorsstation.

The divider 58 and deflector 64 are approximately centrally locatedwithin the grain tank 18 and separate the grain tank into right and leftcompartments 69 and 70 respectively. The outlet end 34 of the transverseconveyor 28 is directly above the plane of the divider 58, and, when thedeflector member 64 is in the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2,the grain from the outlet 34 drops onto the deflector member 64 andmoves into the right compartment 69. When the deflector member is movedto its alternate position 64, the grain is directed to the leftcompartment 70. Thus, by swinging the deflector member 64 by means ofthe handle 68, the operator can direct the grain into either grain tankcompartments 69 or 70, so that the uphill compartment of the grain tankmay be filled to increase the lateral stability of the combiue.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 is similar to that of FIG. 2 except that aforeanrl-ait pivot 71 extends between the front and rear walls 46 and 48a short distance above the upper edge 60 of the divider A generallyflat, elongated, fore-and-aft member 72 swings on a pivot 7 t and ispositionable by control means (not shown) conr cied to the pivot 71 andactuated by the operator, the met 72 being movable between the positionshown full n in FlG. 3, wherein it deflects the 'ntc the rig itcompartment 69, and an alternate position, shown in dotted lines in FIG.3 and indicated by the numeral 72', wherein it deflects the grain intothe left compartment ill.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a spout 74 is mounted above the divider 58and includes an upwardly disposed inlet 76 below the outlet 34, a firstoutlet 78 above the compartment 6% and a second outlet 80 above thecompartment 70. The spout 74 supports a lore-and-aft pivot 82, and adeflector member 84 is swingable on the pivot 82. within the spout 74between alternate positions wherein it covers the alternate outlets 78and 3t), directing the grain which moves through the inlet 76 throughthe uncovered outlet 78 or St). The position of the deflector member 84is established by control means (not shown) actuated by the operator.

A slightly different embodiment is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the graintank 18 again including a remand-aft divider 86, extending between thefront and rear walls 46 and 48 and to the top of the tank 18 and againseparating the tank into right and left compartments 69 and 70. A firsttransverse conveyor tube 87 is supported on the support member 31 abovethe tank and has an inlet 88, communicating with the outlet or dischargeend of the elevator 2 and an outlet above the r got so are ment 59. Asecond conveyor tube 9%, having an inlet 91 and an outlet 92, issupported on a transverse track 94 for axial, transverse, slidingmovement between one position, shown in FIG. 5, in which its inlet end91 overlaps the outlet 89 of the first tube 86 and its outlet 52 isabove the left grain tank compartment 753, and a second position, shownin FIG. 6, wherein there is a substantial space between the first tubeoutlet 89 and the second tube inlet 91. A transverse auger 96 iscoaxiaily rotatable within the conveyor tubes 86 and 90 and includes ashaft 97, journaled at one end in the support bracket 46 and at theother end in the elevator and a helical flight '98, having a terminalend 9 at the outlet 92 of the tube 90 when the tube fill is positionedfor delivery of the grain to the compartment 70, as shown in FIG. 5, theauger 95 moving the grain through the telescoping tubes 86 and 0,whereby the grain drops into the grain tank compartment '70. When thesecond tube 96 is shifted to the position shown in FIG. 6, the graindrops out of the outlet 89 of the first tube 86 into the grain tankcompartment 69. The alternate positions of the second tube 90 on thetrack 94 may be established by an conventional control means (not shown)such as a lever arrangement actuated by the operator.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will readilyoccur to those skilled in the art, as will many modifications andalterations in the preferred embodiment of the invention describedherein, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spiritand the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a combine or the like having a main body adapted to advance over afield and crop treating means within the body, the combination therewithof a single elevated container mounted on the body, a generallyforeand-aft divider having a generally fore-andatt upper and mountedwithin the container for separating the container into laterallyadjacent compartments, a conveyor leans on the body for moving the cropsfrom the treating means to the container and including an elevator alongone side of the container and a transverse one-way auger above thecontainer, fed by the elevator, and having a discharge end generallyabove the divider, and a deflector means associated with said dischargeend and including a generally :ioreand-a'it pivot above the divider andbelow the discharge end of the conveyor and a deflector member swingablymounted on said pivot for movement between alternate positions whereinit directs the crop moving from said discharge end into said alternatecompartments.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the detlector means alsoincludes a spout having an inlet opening below the conveyor dischargeend and alternate outlet openings above the alternate containercompartments and the deflector member is swingablc within the spoutbetween its alternate positions wherein it covers one outlet opening inone position and the other outlet opening in the other position,

3. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the con tainer ii ludcstransverse, opposite, front and rear walls, the divider extendingbetween said walls, the upper edge of said divider forming said pivot,the deflector member being an elongated, fore-andatt, relatively flatmember extending between said front and rear walls and swingable aboutits lower edge on said pivot, said deflector means also including stopmeans mounted on said container and operably engaging said deflectormember to establish said alternate deflector member positions.

l. in a combine or the like having a main, fore-andaft body, adapted toadvance over a field, and crop harvesting and treating means mountedthereon, the combination therewith of a crop receptacle comprising: asingle elevated open-top container mounted substantially centrally abovesaid body and including a bottom, opposite fore-and-alt side walls andtransverse front and rear walls; a generally iore-and-att dividerbetween said front and rear walls and forming a pair of laterallyadjacent cornpartments within said container; a conveyor means operablymounted on the body for moving the crop from the treating means to thecontainer and including a generally upright elevator adjacent to one ofthe sides and a transverse one-way auger ted by the elevator above thecontainer and having a discharge end overlying the divid r; atore-and-ait pivot mounted above the divider within the container belowsaid discharge end; and a deflector member rockably mounted on saidpivot for swinging between a first position below said discharge endwherein it deflects the crop moving from the discharge end into onecompartment and a second position wherein it deflects the crop into theother compartment.

5. in a combine or the like having a main body adapted to advance over afield and crop harvesting and treating means mounted thereon, thecombination therewith of a crop receptacle comprising: an elevatedcontainer mounted on said body and open toward the top; a generallyfore-and-aft divider mounted within the container and separating thecontainer into first and second laterally adjacent compartments; anelevator type conveyor having a discharge end operably mounted on thebody for elevatin crops from the treating means to a point above thecontainer; a first transverse tube having an inlet communicating withthe discharge end of the elevator coneyor and an outlet above the firstcontainer compartment; a second transverse tube having an inlet and anoutlet and mounted above the container coaxially with said first tubeand axially shiftable between a first position wherein its inlet end isaxially spaced from the outlet of said first tube and a second positionwherein its inlet communicates with the outlet of said first tube andits outlet is above said second container compartment; and a transverseanger coaxially rotatable in said tubes for moving the crop from thedischarge end of the elevator conveyor through the outlet of the firsttube in the first position of the second tube and through the outlet endor the second tube in the second position of the second tube.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSDroste et a1. 193-31 Shallock 193-31 Patterson 19868 Bunnell 21417 XHill 56-473.5

6 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/1919 Germany. 9/ 1940 Germany.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

ALBERT J. MAKAY, Examiner.

